IVF Treatment and Infertility

In Vitro Fertilization Treatment

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a fertilization achieved by extracting eggs from the ovaries of a woman and physically uniting the eggs with sperms in a laboratory dish, and subsequently transferring the developed embryo to the womb.

When IVF is recommended

IVF is recommended for treating infertility issues that fall under any of the following categories:

When a woman has either blocked or injured fallopian tubes

When infertility issue is caused by a male factor like low sperm count or motile sperm

When a woman suffers from the disorder of the ovary, untimely ovarian failure and fibroids of the uterus.

When a woman’s fallopian tubes are removed

Where couples have genetic disorder

When the cause of infertility is undetermined.

How in vitro fertilization is done

The process of in vitro fertilization involves five fundamental stages:

What happens at the first stage

Ovulation stimulating medications are prescribed for the woman to boost her egg production.

Many eggs are usually extracted due to the fact that a few of them may not develop while some would not be fertilized.

The woman undergoes trans–vaginal ultrasound to examine her ovaries, and her blood samples are collected and tested for levels of hormones.

What usually happens at the second stage

At this stage eggs are extracted from the ovary of the woman through a slight surgical procedure which makes use of ultrasound imaging to direct a hollow needle into the woman’s pelvic region to extract the eggs. The woman is offered some medication to minimize or get rid of any possible discomfort.

The third stage

The male partner produces his sperm sample and this is prepared and combined with the eggs extracted from the woman.

The fourth stage

Through the process of artificial insemination, the sperm and eggs are mingled together and stored in a laboratory to boost fertilization. In a few instances where there is a minimal probability of fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is used as an alternative.

Through the intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure, one sperm is injected straight onto one egg to make fertilization occur. The eggs are then kept into close observation to ensure that fertilization and cell division are occurring.

As soon as this happens, the fertilized eggs are taken as embryos.

The fifth Stage

The embryos obtained are normally transported into the womb of the woman roughly three to five days after the retrieval of egg and fertilization. The embryos are transferred into the womb with the use of a catheter or small tube. There is no pain associated with this procedure. However, some women do experience slight cramping. If this process proves successful, implantation normally takes place between six to ten days after the eggs have been removed from the woman’s ovaries.

Is IVF Procedure associated with any side effects?

Majority of women are able to go back to their normal activities the next day after the procedure but you are basically supposed to take things easy within this period.

A few possible side effects which you might experience are:

You may pass out some liquid which may be clear or diffused with blood after the process;

You may experience minimal cramping or bloating;

There is also possibility of experiencing constipation;

Your breast may go tender.

These should not signify any danger. However, if you experience any of the symptoms below, you need to get in touch with your doctor straight away:

There are possible risks that come with this medical procedure just like the majorities of other medical procedures. The fertility medication that the woman is given in the first stage can result to some side effects like headaches, mood alterations, pains in the abdomen, hot flashes, swelling and a lot more.

Fertility drugs may result to ovarian hyper–stimulation syndrome (OHSS) which may make the woman’s tummy hurt or feel bloated. It as well results to more serious symptoms like:

A feeling of nauseating effect or propensity to vomit;

Minimal passage of urine;

Fainting attack and the woman’s breath cutting;

Acute stomach pains and bloating in the stomach area;

Abnormal weight gain in a space of three to five days;

You should get in touch with your doctor if you experience this symptom immediately.

Further risks involved in the process include the following:

Retrieving the egg from the woman’s ovary may result to bleeding, infection, and cause injury to the bowel or bladder.

There is a possibility of the woman having multiple pregnancies with the use of this fertility treatment. There are extra risks and concerns connected to multiple birth pregnancy. Among these are a heightened risk of premature birth and less than normal birth weight.

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) leads to a lot of cost both physically, money wise and emotionally. The feelings are worst when the process is unsuccessful.

The IVF procedure is very pricey. Most couples have to fund this entirely on their own as a lot of insurance policies do not cover fertility treatment. The cost of one cycle of IVF may be as high as between fifteen thousand dollars to seventeen thousand dollars minimum.

Will I always succeed with the in vitro fertilization treatment?

Whether you succeed to conceive with IVF treatments or not depends on a lot of factors which include the history of the woman’s reproductive system, the age of the woman, why the couple is infertile and the lifestyles of the couples.

The success rate is lower than the success rate of birth through normal pregnancy.

The live birth success rate for every IVF cycle started in the US is roughly the following and depends on the age of the woman in question.

Forty–one to forty–three percent of women under the age of 35 are successful.

Thirty–three to thirty–six percent of women that fell within the ranges of thirty–five to thirty–seven years are successful.

Twenty–three to twenty–seven percent of women from thirty–eight to forty years are successful.

Thirteen to eighteen percent of women above forty years of age are successful.

If a woman’s egg is not very healthy or the husband is sterile, the couple may make use of donor eggs, sperms or embryos. The number of embryos that should be created and transferred into the uterus of the woman depends on the number of eggs retrieved and the age of the woman. Since the rate of implantation decreases with age, more eggs may be implanted; however, this has possible risk of resulting to multiple pregnancies.